


Didn't Stand a Chance

by Veritable_Wasteland



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Explicit Language, Humor, M/M, Musical References, a bit of angst and fluff in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-16
Updated: 2014-06-19
Packaged: 2018-02-04 21:30:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1793803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veritable_Wasteland/pseuds/Veritable_Wasteland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even after leaving his small town behind, Roxas is still hesitant about getting back up on the stage. But maybe after getting called out by a red-haired musician with the face of a god and a personality only a mother could love, he'll find the confidence he needs. Or maybe Roxas will just really want to kick this guy's ass. He's not too sure himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On and On

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So originally I started writing this story back in 2012 over on FF.net but since then I feel as though my writing style has changed so I decided to edit it a bit and re-upload it here because I have an insatiable need to have my favorite dorks in band.

Roxas let out an undignified whine before he slumped in his wooden university-issued piece of shit they had the audacity to call a desk-chair. The worn cushion did little to shield his backside from the numbing pain of being stationary for several hours. He passively wondered just how many butts had found purchase in this exact seat. What kind of college horrors had the thing been subjected to as it fulfilled its job of catering to countless to young adults before it found itself in the care of an increasingly apathetic transfer student?

 He quickly abandoned that line of thought as his mind began to wonder the same about his bed.

He instead turned back to his studies. His eyes passing over the large skeleton diagram before him.

"This is capital fuckery." He grumbled before tossing his pen across the desk. The plastic made a small clatter as it collided with his binder.

To be honest, the words in his textbook had ceased to make sense at least a half hour before but for the sake of feeling productive, he had tried to power through. It didn't help that this particular class was nothing more than mindless memorization. Honestly, when would an English major ever need to know where the sternocleidomastoid muscle was located? (Though he did take pride in knowing that, that was in fact located in the neck.)

Prerequisites were nothing but hell, and Anatomy was beginning to take the shape of the devil.

He brushed his hand through his messy blond locks before he plucked his music player from a desk drawer and removed himself from his seat before moving over to his bed to plop face down onto his pillow. This class was beginning to feel like some sort of soul sucking torture to him, slowly eating away at his last few veins of sanity.

Without lifting his head, Roxas shoved his headphones over his head and onto his ears. The tenseness in his limbs loosening as a steady drumbeat began to pound against his eardrums. Heavy bass and guitars lulled him into a sense of contentment, easily quelling the Anatomy-induced headache that had been tapping away at his temples. He outstretched his hands to the headboard of his bed, tracing the chords he heard on the rough wood. He was so close to being able to play this song on his own guitar. Maybe in two more weeks he’d have it fully. He quietly hummed along to the lyrics satisfied to have his concentration anywhere but work.

"Ah, so we're procrastinating again, are we?" A voice broke through his musical-meditation causing the unsuspecting college student to scream and flip over and off of the bed, landing butt first onto the floor.

“Son of a bitch.” Roxas cursed quietly. The blond looked up to find his brother, Sora, hovering over him and laughing hysterically. His arms clutched his sides as he struggled to catch his breath. The headphones that were previously covering his ears were now dangling from one of his assailant's hands.

"Didn't we have a conversation about sneaking up on people? Heart attacks tend to make living organisms die, you know." Roxas scowled as he rubbed his sore bottom.

"No, we had a discussion about scaring old people. Not a thing was said about scaring you." Sora corrected, sticking out a hand to help. Roxas swatted it away, snatched back his earphones and flung himself bodily back onto his bed.

"What are you doing back here so early anyway?" Roxas asked, after letting several moments of petulant silence pass between them. He looked over to his twin before chucking a pillow at the brown-haired menace who was once again invading his section of their shared bedroom.

"Class ended early." Sora replied simply, before sitting in his sibling's chair and spinning around in it.

"Not meeting with the nerd brigade today?"

Sora lobbed Roxas’ pillow back, missing significantly, before answering. "Yes, the table tennis club met today.” He replied pointedly. “But that ended early too. Club president had an appointment and took off extra early for something so we all just left."

Roxas grunted in response. He rolled over on the bed, linking his hands together like a cradle before placing his head into it. He stared at the ceiling for a short while, imagining musical notes were etched into its white surface.

"You should come with me next time."

The blonde boy scoffed. "Yeah, when porcupines start burping the alphabet and the gates of Hell start welcoming people with hugs and Mickey Mouse hats."

Sora stopped spinning to blink at his brother. "Wait. Do porcupines burp?"

The blonde let a half-laugh escape his lips. "Do I _look_ like Google to you?"

It was Sora's turn to roll his eyes. There was a beat of silence sans the sound of Sora's foot colliding with the desk every now and then as he continued his spinning endeavors.

"What song were you practicing?"

A crooked grin spread over Roxas’ face. “Like you need to ask.”

"Panic! At the Disco again?”

Roxas nodded.

"I knew it." Sora smiled back. "Play it for me!"

Sora bounced up out of the chair, nearly toppling it over as he scuttled out of the bedroom area of their apartment-style dorm. He came back seconds later, a large black guitar case slung over his shoulder. He handed it over to his brother as he bounced on the balls of his feet. The same zeal, albeit a bit more reserved, was reflected in his brother’s face.

The twins had an affinity for music that their mother noticed early on. Roxas was always running around the house in his socks with his air guitar and Sora would take cake beaters and beat on the backs of pots and pans. The pair would then scream nonsensical lyrics to the top of their lungs. Though they never agreed on what the lyrics were before they actually began their shouting. In order to maintain the sanity of both the Strife brothers' parents and neighbors, they were enrolled in piano class at the age of 5.

They were promptly kicked out two weeks later, something about Roxas and his air guitar, and Sora only wanting to play with the different sounds the instructors keyboard made. They couldn't recall the full story themselves.

As the two got older however, they taught themselves how to play both piano and guitar. Sora learned to play by ear, being much too eager to actually sit and learn how to read musical notes like Roxas. They also learned to sing as their voices matured. While both boys could hold their own vocally, there was something about Roxas' voice that made him stand out. When Roxas sang, people listened.

"I'm not really..." Roxas began, looking down at his instrument, his unsure tone betrayed by the fact the instrument was already cradled in his arms, his fingers tapping at the zipper of the case.

"Oh, come on, it's just a preview. I'll sing back up." Sora was nearly tap dancing now.

"Fine! Fine. Jeez, chill out before you pee yourself."

Sora executed his extreme level of maturity by sticking his tongue out, which earned him an exasperated sigh followed by an eye-roll as Roxas opened the case and positioned his hands on his guitar. He quickly tuned it before giving the chorus a test.

_“Pose, you've gotta save your reputation. They're close to finding out about your girlfriend. But if you change your mind, you know where I am. Yeah, if you change your mind, you know where to find me 'Cause I don't wanna save your reputation.”_

As Roxas’ voice filled the room Sora looked on in awe. It was perfectly clear to Sora that Roxas belonged on the stage. Not in some shitty little dorm room with horrendous acoustics.

"I really wish you'd perform again." Sora half-sighed, jumping as a serious of disjointed notes crashed his musing.

"I told you, I’m not ready to do that right now.”

Sora laughed. “Yeah, is that why you sometimes start drooling at the mere mention of a stage? We’re in a completely different place with new people and you shouldn’t be afraid-“

"Did I ask for a fucking Cosby Show moment?" Roxas snapped as he lowered his guitar onto his lap. These conversations were stillborn occurrences that did nothing more than rile up the pounds of guilt and anxiety that so enjoyed weighing his chest down. Sora’s jaw worked quietly as he looked over at his brother, desperate to offer up a rebuttal, only to come up empty.

The two jumped as five knocks sounded in rapid succession at their door. Roxas and Sora looked at each other, the corners of their mouths turning upwards at the familiar sound. The tension that had laced itself around the oxygen in the room, quickly dispelling. They quickly got to their feet and shuffled into their cramped little living room.

"What's the password?" The two asked in unison.

"If we were made in his image then call us by our names." A female voice sang from the other side.

"It's open." Sora called, a full blown smile had crawled across his face before the words could fully leave his lips.

The door opened to reveal a petite, raven-haired young woman. Her hair was cut short and the intense blue color of her eyes blended with the perfect cerulean of the Strife brothers. The password she'd sang had been an idea of Roxas' back in their Junior year of high school. He felt the lyrics fit their little club of societal rejects.

"Ooooh, guitar time?" She asked, taking note of the instrument, still in Roxas’ hand as she walked in and flopped onto the little loveseat the university provided. Roxas noted the way she’d made sure to avoid the little bar in the middle. She’d made the mistake of flopping onto it once and apparently it had been a lesson she never forgot.

"Gotta love how you saunter in here without so much as a formal 'hello', Xion." Roxas grumbled.

Xion smiled widely before getting up and gathering the two in a big hug.

"Oh, Rox I've missed your surly attitude so. How are things? How's life? How's that stick up your butt, not causing infection I hope."

Roxas thumped her playfully, effectively ending the air restricting hug, before responding. "Yes, my love for your cheap perfume and your lame insults are akin to Dante’s enjoyment of Hell." He propped his guitar up on the wall nearest the bedroom doorway before taking a spot on the sofa.

Xion gave a small indignant huff as she reclaimed her own spot on the sofa, stretching her legs across Roxas’ lap before sticking her tongue out at him, showing just how far the level of maturity spread amongst those in their small little group. "Pretentious meanie."

The blond thumped her again, this time opting for her legs. "It's getting crowded up here, and you're in my bubble."

"It's been popped," Xion replied before snatching the pillow from the grumpy twin's grasp. "Unlike your cherry, I'm sure. When  _is_  the last time you were on a date, anyway?"

"February 30th if you must know," Roxas replied dryly, desperately wishing he had his pillow back so he could beat the woman into silence. "You really need change the filter between your mouth and brain. Because _wow_ , that comment was both excessive and unnecessary.”

"Wait, there's a February 30th?" Sora asked somewhat quietly as he plopped down onto the floor with his legs crossed.

Roxas and Xion looked over at the brunette with questioning looks. His gaze was set upon a small area on the wall as if it held the answers he was looking for.

"Yes, but only on Leap Years." Roxas deadpanned, managing to suppress his amusement.

Xion, on the other hand, unable to hold it in doubled over laughing which in turn sent Roxas into a fit of his own as Sora quietly seethed on the floor.

If there was anything that truly brought balance to his life, it was Xion. Roxas and Sora met had met the girl through Sora’s best friend, Kairi, back when they were little bundles of acne and braces and horrendous fashion choices in their first year of high school. Xion was a quiet loner. New to their small town, she had just barely managed to befriend Kairi who had found the girl alone in the band practice room showing out on the band’s drum set after school.

They all hit it off tremendously and formed a little band. They called themselves Dream. Drop. Distance. They were an unexpected hit at their first talent show and quickly found a fanbase amongst their peers. They were routinely invited to perform at parties and some of the smaller local venues that allowed minors. And it went on like that until the end of their Junior year when the proverbial shit hit the fan. Thinking his new found celebrity status would grant him a pass from any kind of small town persecution, he decided to publicly come out.

And such an unprecedented feat went as well as it possibly could go when dealing with an island that was too small to properly house a Walmart: horribly.

"Oh, my soul, that was hilarious." Roxas coughed, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, yeah, new topic please." Sora pouted, crossing his arms giving him the full preschooler appearance. Xion cooed at the petite brunette, pinching his cheeks playfully, earning nothing more than cross looks and colorful language that was very unlike the usually upbeat man.

"Fine, let's go back to my previous question. Guitar time?" Xion offered, ruffling the brunette's messy spikes as a gesture of good will.

"Well it was. Sora ruined it."

Xion raised a dark eyebrow and turned to the other twin. "Oh?"

"I didn't ruin a thing," Sora squawked in defense. "All I did was bring up the subject of performing."

"Ooooh, did you finally get him to crack?" Xion asked her interest piqued.

"No, he most certainly did not crack, and  _he_ is sitting right here, so don't talk about  _him_  like he isn't here, you rectum." Roxas grumbled, taking his turn to pout a little.

"Aw, look at you, using your anatomy knowledge," Xion clucked jokingly smiling apologetically at Roxas’ unimpressed expression. "But seriously, Dream. Drop. Distance.plus comeback, equals?"

Roxas shrugged and shifted in his seat. "I don't know."

"I figured you'd say that." Xion answered, as she sat up and wrapped an arm around the blond’s shoulder.

"Look Rox, if you let those vermin run you from doing what you love the most, then aren't you just letting them win?"

Roxas shrugged again suddenly finding words to be a burden. He was suddenly finding a new of interest in the stitching on the leg of his jeans.

"All we're saying," Sora started. "is that you're an awesome musician. You love music more than anything else. You live for it, you breathe it and I’m like 80% sure even your farts are on the scale somewhere. Sometimes you get hurt but you’ll never know what can really happen unless you try again, right?”

Roxas looked at his brother with a smirk.

"You don't have to decide today, but don’t let a bunch of high school asshats, let  _you_  forget what it is you love. And just know that the band is ready to stand behind their front man when he's ready to lead us again." Xion smiled, before pulling the blonde into a half hug. Roxas smiled back for a beat before pulling away.

"Okay, enough of this sappy sweet stuff I'm going to need an insulin shot if things keep going at this rate." Roxas teased, pushing Xion off playfully.

"I agree, fully.” Xion responded.

“So, I've been meaning to ask you, Xion." Sora started, acquiring the dark-haired woman’s full attention. "What are you doing here? I thought you had register duty over at The Cafe That Never Was."

"Oh, I do, in like, thirty minutes. I just had something I wanted to show and/or ask you two." Xion replied as she picked her purse up off of the floor, pulling out a folded sheet of white paper.

"And that would be?" Sora asked, already crawling and leaning over to take a peek at what the woman had in her hands.

"Are you two busy Saturday night?" She inquired slyly.

The twins looked at each other before looking back at Xion and shaking their heads.

"Well, the Cafe is hosting an Open Mic Night."

"But I thought we just –"

"I'm not suggesting we sign up...yet," She held up a hand, cutting Roxas off "There's this band on campus that everyone's buzzing about and I thought we could check them out."

Roxas snatched the flyer out of Xion's hand and examined it. His eyes stretched wide as they settled on the image before him. His eyes traced over the frame of a tall, lanky, redhead clad in a tight dark shirt, a sleeve of tattoos decorating his right forearm and vanishing underneath the rolled up sleeves of his shirt. He held a microphone up to his lips which curved themselves into a mischievous smirk that matched the glint he held in his ridiculously emerald eyes.

"Who is  _that?_  I wasn't even aware they made them like  _that_." Roxas gushed. “What kind of deal do you need to make with Satan to get a fucking jaw structure like that?”

Sora looked over his brother's shoulder, his own brows raising in surprise. Xion stifled a giggle. Her eyes held a playful gleam, very much like the redhead in the photo.

"So, you guys wanna go with me?" She asked despite already knowing the answer.

Neither man looked up from the image as they both nodded in agreement.

 


	2. We're Going Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Axel performs and Roxas totally does not drool over redheads with tattoos and a love for classic Fall Out Boy.

In his mind’s eye, Axel could see it all, feel it all. The admiration and scrutiny of countless strangers as he stood on an elevated stage feeling the smallest he’s felt since he began the awkward navigation that was his gawky teenage years. He could feel the goosebumps dance along his limbs and hairs stand on end as one hand grasps the cool metal of the microphone stand while the other holds his guitar steady. But as the bass of drums began to ebb and fade he was suddenly brought back to the dingy little University practice room and became increasingly aware that the pounding in chest could not be solely blamed on percussion. He threw his head back in an attempt to get his sweat-dampened bangs off and away from his forehead. He wiggled the cheap microphone back into his duct tape mended holster before quickly shoving his trembling hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"All right guys, that was good. Let's take five." The lanky redhead, announced to his band members after taking a beat to regain his composure. He gingerly removed his guitar from around his body before turning to his bandmates.

His bassist had already found a place on the wooden floor of the practice room. Halfway through his bottle of water, his head was nearly all the way tilted back, his Adam’s apple bobbed with each large gulp. His eyes were nearly entirely hidden underneath the long silvery bangs that clung to his face. Axel took in his best friend's appearance with a laugh.

"Down for the count already, Anderson Cooper?" Axel joked, as he tossed a bottle to the mass of blond mohawk-mullet seated behind a blue and white drum set.

Without removing the bottle of water from his lips, the silver-haired musician opened one electric blue-green eye and gave Axel a clear view of his middle finger.

"I told you before, and I'll tell you again," The man began, bringing down the bottle, "Anderson Cooper ain't got shit on me." The man grinned widely.

Axel returned the grin before speaking. "Hear that, Demyx? Sounds like Riku is suffering from those damned delusions again."

Demyx shook his head as he placed his drumsticks down beside him. "Can't go a minute without causing some kind of trouble, can you, Captain Insufferable?"

"I'm not causing trouble, just stating facts."

Riku scoffed from his spot on the floor. "Hear that Dem? His head is  _so_  far up his ass at this point I’m sure he could simply look up and give himself a prostate exam."

A look of mischievousness danced through Axel's eyes. "You know-"

“I swear on everything Axel, if the next words out of your mouth are sexual or just plain infuriating you can find someone else willing to let you mooch off of them in music theory.”

Axel quickly snapped his mouth shut. He’d known Riku since middle school and he knew very well that the bass player was not one to make idle threats. Music Theory may have just been an elective but he’d be damned if he let some snide remark ruin his GPA.

"You guys are no fun." the lead guitarist pouted before finding a spot in a nearby corner and downing his own bottle of water. He let his head rest against the wall.

Axel took a moment and examined his arm inconspicuously. The goosebumps were gone and his hairs had settled back into their normal pattern, lying flat against his inked skin. He sighed minutely. He had a habit of allowing the music to take him out of whatever mundane status quo he was in during practices. He found that the more he imagined being in front of larger crowds, the more he was able to handle the smaller ones when it came time to actually perform. Residual stage fright, was the name he’d given it. Residual _secret_ stage fright. He’d be damned if he ever let anyone actually know…

"Speaking of fun," Riku began, causing Axel to lightly jump out of his daze. "What was up with the door last night?" Axel stared momentarily, the words taking their time to work through the fog in his head.

"Oh, that?" Axel shrugged, waving the man off. "Nothing."

Demyx and Riku exchanged looks before looking back to the frontman.

"So, I crashed on Dem's floor and put my back through hell for 'nothing'?" Riku questioned. "I mean, my semi-comfortable college issued twin sized monstrosity isn't exactly what dreams are made of but it's a hell of a lot better than two pillows and a carpet that smells like old crotch. So, what gives?"

Axel sighed. "I blocked the door. And there was a reason for it, but I got what I wanted from that reason, so now that reason has no purpose. So I repeat my earlier answer: ‘nothing’"

 Demyx and Riku exchanged more glances of utter confusion. Axel, in turn, shrugged as a finalization of his roundabout explanation, as if everything he had just said should make perfect sense.

And to Axel it really did. The man talked a lot of shit, but when it came to his actual escapades he had a tendency to be rather tight-lipped. Which was surprising given the number of times Riku had to sacrifice his back in honor of the 'guy code' just this week alone. Unless, that is, you gave the 22-year old tattooed deviant a bottle of whiskey or vanilla Rum, (or tequila, if the mood was right.) Then those loosened lips could sink some serious ships.

Noticing the looks he was getting from the other two, Axel raised his hands in defense. "Hey, don't hate the player, hate the game."

"Yeah, the thing about that line of thinking is that, you're...well not a player and you have zero game." Demyx laughed.

"Debatable." Axel countered.

"You, my beautifully delusional friend, are not a player. Especially since you actually used the label like some 1999 high school jock. You're a broke ass college student who's littered with tattoos, majors in fire science, who likes to drink whenever the mood does or does not call for it, screws like a bunny on Viagra, and you just happen to be a decent musician and vocalist." Riku replied, using his fingers to count and punctuate each point. "Now, nowhere in that complete oral biography of your life did you hear the word ‘player’. Debate over."

"Aw, Riku, why so cranky? Do you need me to climb in your bed tonight?" Axel cooed, crawling over and reaching his hand out for Riku’s face, only to have it slapped away.

"I'd rather stick my tongue into an electrical socket and hope for the best." Riku scoffed, before standing up and moving out of the redhead's reach.

"Oh, but I have a much better place for it."

"You know what, pick your guitar up, shut up, and sing something you STD breeding ground." The bassist snatched Axel's water bottle away, (who in response let a string of his own protests and curses fly) as he put on his best disappointed parent face.

It amazed Riku how much a 22-year old man could resemble a 15 year-old hormonally driven teenager. He knew all the reasons Axel felt the need to hide behind piles of bullshit and facades but it made it no less tiring for either of his band mates.

"Uh-oh’s Riku’s making his ‘I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you’ face." A woman's voice echoed in the fresh silence of the room from the entrance. Xion waved to the trio before walking into the room, Sora, right on her heels as he examined the room with wide eyes.

"Hey Xi!" Demyx greeted brightly with a smile and a wave.

"Ah, to what do we owe this lovely intrusion?" Axel asked before he turned his attention to his guitar.

"Oh, not much. I was just leaving class when I remembered Riku said you guys would be here.” Xion answered ignoring Axel’s snappy enquiry.

"And who's the kid behind you?" Axel questioned, that familiar look of childish debauchery in his eyes.

"Down boy," Xion warned, taking a small step in front of Sora to guard him from the redhead's somewhat lecherous gaze. "He's not available for your corruption."

Sora looked between Xion and Axel, a mixture of relief and horror painted on his features. He very much felt like a small kid accompanying a parent as they ran into an old friend or family member and that at any second his cheeks would be roughly pinched. Though, he was quite sure that in this case, it wouldn't be the pair on his face, getting manhandled.

"This is Sora, one of my closest friends," Xion explained to Axel and the others, reaching an arm around the brunette's shoulders. "Sor, this creature is known as an 'Axel' beware, if you let your guard down, it will pounce." Sora nodded with a wary smile before shaking hands with the man.

Sora had known as soon as he laid eyes on the insane arrangement of increidibly red spikes. This was definitely the band Xion had shown him and Roxas last night. The picture didn't do the front man justice. His hair was much redder and much crazier than any 2-D image could demonstrate. He smiled a little to himself remembering Roxas' reaction to the picture the previous night. If the blonde thought that picture was something, he couldn't wait to see how Roxas would react to seeing this man face to face.

"That mass of indiscernible blond hair back there, is Demyx. He's harmless but can and will either eat you out of house and home or con you into doing any or all of his work." Xion began and after Demyx gave Xion a scathing look for her introduction the two newly acquainted men nodded at each other. "And last but surely not least, we have the sometimes stoic, reserved, but mostly walking 'Wit Machine', Riku." Xion finished with a smile.

Riku stepped forward, brushed his bang's from his eyes and flashed a smile at the smaller brunet man as he stuck his hand out for Sora to take. Upon taking the man's hand Sora looked up, his eyes immediately drawn to the intensity of the taller man's eye color.

Sora recalled noticing the man right beside Axel in the photo, but if the somewhat pixelated low resolution image had been a slight misrepresentation of Axel, it sure as hell didn't reveal how ethereal this guy looked. (Not that Sora was finding him to be ethereal or anything.) Sora, realizing how far from the present he had drifted and just how long he had been holding onto the other guy’s hand, jolted back to reality and snatched his hand back. He let a mumbled “nice to meet you’, spill from his lips quickly as he felt the tips of his ears burn. Xion’s small smile transforming from a pleasant one, to a knowing one. The bassist frowned a bit at both of their odd expressions.

"So, can I still expect Re:Coded to make an appearance tonight?" She asked, turning her attention back to the band as a whole.

"Of course." Axel answered, as he began tuning his guitar, quickly losing interest in the conversation.

"Excellent. Because someone will be there that I want you all to meet." the blue-eyed girl clapped approvingly.

"Is he hot?" The redhead looked up curiosity bringing him back to the pair of practice-crashers in front of him.

The group collectively groaned.

"She said  _meet,_ not screw." Demyx corrected, spinning a drumstick between his fingers with an eye roll.

Axel turned to the drummer in mock bewilderment. "There's a difference?"

Xion pinched the bridge of her nose. "Good Gracious, I am so glad you're gay, otherwise you'd be a three part Jerry Springer paternity episode just waiting to happen." she sighed.

Sora watched the familiar exchange between the four and just had to ask.

"So, Xi, how exactly do you know these guys?"

Xion turned to her friend, her face resembling a deer in headlights for all of two seconds. "Oh, I haven't told you and Roxas yet, have I?" She half mumbled to herself. "Space case Xion strikes again. Demyx and his family live on the island. He also works at the café with me.”

Sora paused. "Cue the record scratch. I might be wrong but Rox and I have lived on that island our entire lives and I'm pretty sure Roxas and I essentially _live_ at the Café. Call me crazy, but I think that if Rox came across that hairstyle, he would've ragged on him pretty bad." He reasoned before pausing again to look over to the drummer sheepishly. "No offense."

"Some taken, but not much." Demyx mumbled, running his hands through the aforementioned mane.

"They recently moved to the island. While you and Rox were doing transfer shit there I met him while he was DJing my mother's second cousin or...something’s wedding while all the senior citizens were embarrassing themselves to all the hits of the prehistoric era, we connected over instruments and stuff. It wasn't too much later that I found out we went to the same University and I met the other clowns of Re:Coded." Xion shrugged. Sora nodded, forming a silent 'O' with his lips as the information sunk in.

"Well if we're done establishing friendships and shootin' the shit," Axel cut in, rather loudly. "It'd be nice to get back to the task at hand."

"Oh my, baby gets cranky when he doesn't have something to keep that mouth occupied." Riku teased. Axel fought both the urge to smile and to respond to the innuendo. He could tell when his skills were being tested and he could tell Riku was testing his ability to behave.

He instead made a shoo-ing motion at the woman and her friend.

"Fine, Fine. We're going. You three be good. And by three I do mean you and your various personalities, Axel." Xion quipped as she and Sora made for the exit.

The two now exiled intruders made their way towards the exit and left the room after giving a final wave.

"Well now, that was interesting." Riku half-whispered as he watched Sora’s head whip around as he made his way out of the room, their gazes connecting for the two seconds it took for the door to fully close.

Roxas was almost sure his mind had been taken over by a fucking parasite. That had to be it. There was no other way to explain why he was sitting in the very back of the lecture hall and instead of taking notes on Plato's Cave allegory shit, he was tapping his foot to a beat only he could hear and hastily scribbling notes and lyrics.

It all started with that damn photo.

Roxas couldn't be sure but there was something other than his ungodly perfect jawline and insanely green eyes that stirred a weird buzzing in the pit of his stomach. The way he looked into the camera as the microphone skimmed across his lips. Roxas knew that look somehow. And this inability to pinpoint and define that look was essentially what kept Roxas up until one in the morning writing this song. The thing had come to him assbackwards. Lyrics and now melody. He smiled to himself as he scribbled the notes to the bridge of the chorus when the sudden piercing silence of the room caused him to jerk out of his concentration and glance around the room.

He was the only one still seated. The only people left in the room were the professor and his loyal band of ass kissers. The blond gathered his stuff and eased out of the room, making his way through the courtyard. He had to laugh at himself and this new song. Here he was, a full grown twenty-one year old man with a crush. Had his age regressed at the sight of that photo or had those fangirly bits of DNA that Sora had been exhibiting over the years, finally kicked in?

"Roxas!" He spun around at the sound of his name to find his brother sitting at a round stone picnic table waving both arms excitedly.

Roxas made his way over, plopping down on the cool stone bench opposite Sora.

"Hey, bedhead." The blond greeted. He reached out and squished his brother's mass of brown spiked hair. The gravity-defying locks simply bounced back into their original shape.

Sora frowned and attempted to rearrange the madness. Roxas snorted at the futile attempt.

“Oh shush. How was class?"

Roxas shrugged. "No idea."

Sora cocked his head in confusion, examining the book bag Roxas had just shrugged out of and dumped onto the table.

"You skipped?"

"No, I went but might as well not have. I was sort of… distracted."

"Oh, you met someone?" Sora's face lit up with interest.

"No, Nosy Rosie," Roxas rolled his eyes as he zipped open his bag and pulled out his hastily written song. "I was caught up in this."

Sora took the music from the blonde man and examined it. He couldn't make much sense out of the musical notes but the lyrics made a smile crawl across his face.

"I'm not sure if my innocent eyes should be reading some of these lines," Sora laughed. "But a clear departure from the sad shit you've been writing. I approve"

Roxas snatched the papers back, a mock glare on his features. "Shut up or I'll demote you to tambourine player. And  _you know_  what they say about tambourine players." The blond joked.

Sora gave a half-hearted laugh, the response immediately alerting Roxas.

"Sor? Eveything okay?" Roxas poked his twin’s forehead. Sora was typically an open book emotionally and Roxas was not used to not being able to read the man’s mood.

Sora playfully nudged his brother. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good." Roxas did not miss the dash of pink that colored the apples of his brother’s cheeks

"Liar."

"Is it too late to request a subject change?" Sora whined. The bit of pink was spreading. The gradient going from a light pink to full on tomato red.

"Why?" Roxas raised a brow. Sora was giving off major waves of weird right and to say that his interest had hit an all-time high would be a gross understatement.

"Just becaaaause," Sora wailed miserably. "I don't really want to talk about it right now."

Roxas gave in. He knew his brother. If it was anything worth talking about, he'd come to him sooner or later.

"Alright. But when you do finally talk, just remember I am not licensed to treat mental illness and fully support electroshock treatment."

"You're an ass." Sora sighed in a mixture of annoyance and relief.

"Oh my, look at the potty mouth we're sporting today."

"I wonder where I get it from." Sora grumbled.

"Xion, of course." Roxas grinned.

"You're displaying symptoms of Assholeitivity and I'm leaving before I catch it." Sora stuck his tongue out at his brother, while gathering the books that he had scattered around the table.

“Sora, I'm gonna make damn sure that you can't ever leave.” Roxas quoted quietly, grabbing onto his brother’s wrist tightly, with wide eyes. A wide-crazed grin spreading across his face.

"Roxas. Roxas, no. That song creeps me out, you know that." Sora protested.

“No, you won't ever get too far from me. You won't ever get too far from me. I'll make damn sure that you can't ever leave. No, you won't ever get too far from me.” Roxas sang loudly.

Sora’s eyes grew to comedic proportions as Roxas continued his serenading. It took a couple good tugs before Sora was finally able to wriggle out of his brother’s grasp and scuttle away from both Roxas and the handful of people that had been quietly giggling at the exchange.

Roxas quietly laughed to himself as he carefully shoved his song back into his backpack. The man sighed contentedly after a while. It was a nice change of pace sitting outside instead of making a beeline for their dorm like he usually did after class.  On any typical day, Roxas would have already been back in his room, absently plucking away at his guitar, Oathkeeper. About two minutes after his sibling had vanished around the corner, Roxas felt his pocket vibrate. He pulled the device from the pocket of his jeans and unlocked it to read the message.

 

**Irritation Nation (Sora)**

_By the way met your boyfriend today was gonna tell you in person but that's what happens when you're a smart ass. Oh and look up at the balcony._

 

Roxas unconsciously looked upwards and saw his brother's head leaning over the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. Sora flashed an impish grin before disappearing. Roxas decided, after hearing the rapid footfalls, he ran. Smart move. Unfortunately for Sora, they shared a dorm and someone was in for one hell of a pillow beating.

~.~.~

"So how much shit are we going to have to suffer through until we get to the main event?" Roxas asked as they elbowed their way into the cafe. Xion was mentally thanking her manager for letting her reserve a table near the front for the trio. The cafe was never this packed, it was usually a quiet place for the campus hipsters to suck down their iced chai lattes and study. Those fliers Re:Coded had been passing around had obviously worked.

"Mean," Xion laughed. "Some of these people may not be that bad."

"I'm guessing that'll apply to a very small minority," Roxas smirked. "I mean, that guy in the corner has an accordion for fuck's sake." Xion and Sora spotted the male clad in lederhosen, a tambourine at his feet. They all laughed. Well, that was certainly a little…disconcerting.

However, the three were in high spirits after spending the majority of the afternoon holed up in a practice room. They had finally managed to make the jumbled notes Roxas had spent the morning scribbling, into something reminiscent of an actual song. They had no intention of actually performing the song of course, but it was enough that they actually had a chance to play together.

The show went better than expected. Even Accordion Guy was better than they had anticipated. There were more Nicki Minaj impersonations going around than Roxas would have liked, but overall the energy and atmosphere was amazing. The crowd was alive and buzzing they were easily feeding into his good mood. The blond had forgotten just how much he enjoyed being in these kinds of small venues.

"Here we go." Sora nudged his brother excitedly with a decidedly too bony elbow, jerking his head in the direction of the stage.

And Roxas felt himself just about hit the floor.

The image Xion had shown him was nothing compared to reality. While in the picture the man, who after an all-out pillow war learned was named Axel, had his hair flying freely in a mass of elongated spikes flowing over his shoulders, he now had his hair tucked underneath a dark beanie, tendrils of the red locks poking out here and there haphazardly. When the front-man turned his back to playfully flick the bassist on the arm, Roxas caught wind of another tattoo snaking along the base of the man’s neck and underneath his shirt. Roxas would be totally lying if he said he wasn’t curious as to what the rest of it looked like. His eyes followed the fluid movement as Axel turned back around to face the crowd, electric guitar in hand. The lead singer wrapped his fingers around the holstered mic and Roxas held his breath as he began to speak.

"Hello, Hello, everyone. We are Re:Coded and I hope you're ready for us."

Roxas felt himself sit up in his seat as the redhead's hand positioned themselves on his guitar, his lips just inches from the mic. Was it just him, or had it gotten unbelievably hot in here?

"Whatever you do, don't throw your panties on stage," Xion whispered into her friend's ear. "I will disown you and promptly quit the band."

"Shut your gaping noise void would ya?" The blond hissed, using his foot to scoot the dark-haired woman's chair away.

With a smirk, the lanky male looked out at the crowd. Roxas hoped the gulp he produced wasn't as audible as he thought as the redhead's tongue flicked out for just a moment, wetting his lips. Roxas was absolutely positive that the A/C was not working properly because there was no reason the room should be as hot as it was as the man began the first verse.

_“I'm from a little city with expensive taste, where the cars don't run until the engine breaks. Wasn't spending pennies on massive things but invested in mess with this recipe. Couldn't quite see what the future held. And as days went by it would tell itself. Let it struggle just a little bit more. Let it struggle just a little bit more.”_

Roxas watched, completely entranced in the man’s performance. He wasn’t quite sure if the song was original or if it was a cover but either way the man’s voice was amazing and the lyrics weren’t complete shit either. As Axel picked up the second verse he could swear the redhead was staring him down while a crooked smile pulled at the corner of his lips as he sang. Roxas, testing the waters, shifted a little to the left. The man’s eyes followed.

Huh.

Roxas tested it again, this time shifting to the right and again the unwavering stare followed. He blinked and the man responded with a wider grin and a wink.

Nope. That didn’t just happen. Nah. Nuh-uh.

Roxas looked around. No one else seemed to be picking up on what the lead singer was putting down. In fact, it was quite clear that majority of the girls in the place were still losing about 80% of their body's moisture by just staring at the members of Re:Coded. They were about ready to rush the stage as the bassist with long (Gray? Silver? It had to be silver. Okay, that's new.) silver hair moved up to his own mic, helping the leading man sing the chorus.

Well if no one else saw it, he'd just chalk it up to paranoia.

Roxas once again immersed himself in the performance. Midway through their second song he was sure he probably looked like a mounted fish the way his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn't help it. He had never witnessed stage presence like this from a local band. The way the front man commanded the stage and enraptured the entire room was amazing. The blonde had to volley in between listening to the green-eyed man's husky vocals and tracing the outlines of his entirely too tight jeans and the split second visible abs that peeked from up under his tight dark grey t-shirt whenever he'd throw himself into dancing to the music.

Never had any human ever wanted to switch places with an article of clothing as badly as Roxas did right then.

"They're pretty amazing huh?" Sora nudged his brother, his face almost as giddy as his brother's.

"Y-yeah. I was honestly not expecting them to be this good." Roxas answered as the band ended their song.

"What’s up, Café That Never Was,” Axel called over the mic, the crowd screamed in response. “So for those who don't know, my name is Axel, A-x-e-l. Got it memorized? Dude on bass is Riku," He gestured to the guy next to him. "And Demyx, is on drums, and again we are Re:Coded. Also for those interested, I'm taking applications for a contract lover, position begins around November first and ends sometime after April. Excellent benefits." He winked out at the crowd, receiving ear-piercing screams that Roxas was sure would break the sound barrier, as well as a healthy smack upside the head from Riku.

"Anywho, this is actually our last song of the night. If you want more we’ll be doing a full set November 3rd right out in the courtyard, at 8:30. Be there. Especially you, Blondie." Axel smirked again, but this time his eyes were right on Roxas.

Roxas looked around making sure there were no other blondes in the immediate area. Nope, only him. Roxas felt his face go ablaze and-

Halt the motherfuckin' fanfare.

Who the hell was he calling Blondie?

Before Roxas had enough time to even mentally protest, Axel had moved on.

“Anyway, here’s Wonderwall.” The man announced before breaking out into laughter amidst the groans from his bandmates. “I’m sorry I’ve just always wanted to do that. This one’s actually one of my favorite songs. A classic and I’m sorry if it’s a little too good for some of you.”

Roxas sat up fully at the sound of the beginning chords of the song. Holy handbaskets in hell he was not –

_“Am I more than you bargained for yet? I've been dying to tell you anything you want to hear, ‘cause that's just who I am this week. Lie in the grass, next to the mausoleum. I'm just a notch in your bedpost but you're just a line in a song.”_

Axel was singing what could easily be described as Roxas’ anthem throughout his broody adolescent days. And if Roxas was internally losing his shit the crowd was losing it three times over externally as they screamed the lyrics aloud in unison. There were nearly zero butts in the seats as they all danced along. Had Roxas been a little less concerned with pedantic things like dignity he was quite sure he’d be alongside them. Instead he quietly mouthed the words and found his grin uncontrollable as Axel let the crowd take over the last chorus.

As the song ended, Roxas knew that he just had to meet this guy. (Simply to pick his brain of course.)

"So what do you think?" Xion broke through his mental flailing as the redhead and his band mates were ambushed by screaming fans.

"I've no words. They were awesome," Roxas half-laughed. "Honestly I'm seconds away from fangirling here."

"I don't think you have to. The amount of drool on your chin is explanation enough." Sora laughed.

Roxas turned to his brother with a non-menacing glare. "I hate you and wish to burn you in the sun."

Sora pouted. "Mean."

Xion smiled, turning the conversation back to the show. "So you really liked them that much, huh?"

"Of course. I don't think I've ever seen a local band so well put together and oh my damn, that lead singer."

Xion threw her head back and laughed. "You sound like a Justin Bieber fan girl right now."

Roxas' face deflated quickly, the glow of his post-concert high was easily replaced by a burning blush. "See, you ruined it. You ruined the moment, fuck you very much”

"Oh, I don't know, I think she made a point. However, I do enjoy the praise, so please continue." A deep voice came from behind causing Roxas to stop dead. Oh, he knew that voice. And while moments earlier it had filled him a series of feelings, some of them a little questionable, right now it filled him with a sense of dread he’d never known before.

He slowly turned to find all three members of Re:Coded standing behind him. The green-eyed leader leaning down and forward so that his face was mere inches from the now mortified blue-eyed blond. Roxas felt the blood drain from his face.

"Capital fuckery." He mumbled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs Mentioned: MakeDamnSure by Taking Back Sunday Let it Go by The Neighbourhood, Sugar, We're Going Down by Fall Out Boy and a minor mention of Fuck You by Lily Allen
> 
> Next Chapter: Will Axel be everything Roxas has hyped him up to be? *spoiler alert* He won't. And Roxas takes the stage.
> 
> As always thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Constructive criticism and comments are always welcome!


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